Wire bracket for tubular rails



June 9, 1953 F. A. BlELAK ET AL 2,641,432

WIRE BRACKET FOR TUBULAR RAILS Filed March 24, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 i Z J? I 11 EE-1 'JD" (1% v I 6 25 11]) r* m 20 I H 11D 9g gm Q/b m x'Rmv/r f g/ 2 57: BY WILLIAM H-NEtLY F A BIELAK ET AL 2,641,432

WIRE BRACKET FOR TUBULAR RAILS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 9, 1953 Filed March 24, 1951 June 9, 1953 F. A. BIELAK ET AL ,6

' WIRE BRACKET FOR TUBULAR RAILS Filed March 24, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June 9, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE WIR R E FOR T BU AR RAIL Frank A. Bielak, Fairview Park, and William H.

Neely, Cleveland, Ohio, assignors to The Uni- .versal Wire Spring Company, Bedford, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application March 24, 1951, Serial No, 217,386

(01. arse-i223) 9 Claims. 1 This invention relates in general to spring supporting means for wire spring constructions such as i used in upholstered furniture, automobile se ts and the like, and more particularly to spring wire supporting brackets for wire spring constructions embodying sinuously corrugated wire springs mounted on open tubular frame structures crosswise thereof.

"Spring constructions of this type are generally assembled from corrugated wire spring elements having yielding resting portions supported on yielding front and rear supporting arms which are secured to front and rear rails of an open frame structure and arranged to yieldingly support the, resting portions of the springs in elevated position above the frame structure. The resting portions of the wire springs of these spring constructions are connected by edge wires and connecting wires to form the spring construction with a unitary resilient resting member.

In a thus constructed resilient resting member 'of a spring construction the front and rear edges of the resting members are generally supported by the yielding front and rear suDD g arms of i the individual springs, whereas, the side edges of the resting member are supported by supplemental Wire springs which are mounted either directly on theside ra-ils of the open frame structures or on brackets secured thereto, an often difficut and always costly arrangement in labor and material, particularly when the rails of the open frame structure are made of tubular material.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of an improved, simple and" economic wire supporting device, particularly suitedifor use with tubular frame structures, thedevice embodying cooperating wire members adapted to be extended into a tubular rail through aperforated wall thereof and to be removably secured to such tubular rail, the device being shaped to properly seat and support sinuously corrugated wire springs and the device having cooperating wire members constructed similar to each other, sized to fit one within the other, and provided with hook-shaped legs which are jointly extended into a tubular rail when the wire members are nested so that the ends of the hook-shaped legs contact Opposed wall areas of such tubular rail to permit forcible engagement of these ends with the Wall areas, and locking of the wire members to these areas when these members are tilted in opposite directions with respect to each other toward said wall areas and ready release of the wire members when tilted in directions opposite to the directions first mentioned.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a'wire spring supporting device of the type described above which embodies two U- shaped wire members differentiating in width'to permit their nesting and differentiating in overall length to form said device by the longer one of its wire members with a loop-shaped'extension adapted to seat an end coil of a sinuously corrugated wire spring and permit attachment of such end coil to said extension by standard clips.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a wire spring supporting device of the type described above in which the U -shaped wire members have their legs shaped to a hook by offsetting the ends of said legs at right angles to the planes of the U-shaped wire members and in which the wire members are nested in inverted position to extend the offset ends of their legs in opposite directions.

Still another object of the invention is the combination of a wire spring supporting device of the type described above with an elongatedlocking member inserted between said wire members and adapted to lock same in properly tilted position with respect to a perforated tubular rail when the wire members of the device are extended into such rail through the perforated wall thereof and tilted in opposite directions to predetermined positions.

With the above and other incidental objects in view the invention has still other marked improvements and superiorities which radically distinguish it from presently known structures. These improvements or superior characteristics embodying certain novel features of design and construction are clearly set forth in the appended claims, and several preferred embodiments of the invention are hereinafter shown with reference to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of an automobile spring seat construction embodying the invention;

Fig, 2 is a cross-sectional view on line 2-1-2 of Fig. 3 is an'enlarged fragmentary plan view showing the side rail of a seat construction such Fig. 8 showing the spring. supporting. .device prior to its interlocking with the inner wall" of the tubular rail, and

Fig. 9 shows the device in locked position with the tubular rail; and

Figs. 10 and 11 are perspective views of the U-shaped symmetrically constructed two wire members of the spring supporting'de'vice.

Referring now more particularly to Figs.- 1-

through 4 of the drawings, the automobile spring seat construction disclosed therein embodies ,a tubular open frame structure 2 which embodies atilbular front rail 3 tubular side rails}! and a tubular rear rail 5. Thisframe structure supports a plurality of'flat, sinously corrugated springstarranged crosswiseof the frame structure and securedtothe front and rear. rails .3 and .5 thereof, Thesprin s 6, which aremade of steelwire, bentto sinuous shape, so, that the loops therofextend substantiallyparallel t each other, ,have, their front. ends, formed... with \l shaped supportingarms .9 secured to an elongated front sheet metal bracket |0 mounted-on frontrail 3 and their rear ends ,bent upwardly toformrealtsuspending armsil securedwtosan elongated rear sheet, metal bracket. l2 mounted on rear rail 5. ,Springs .6. areassembled to form 2 1,..unita1ty,v elevated resilient seating member 14 by.a :ed e.wire.l5.

,In the, automobile spring seat. construction .in which seating .memberM has itsfront andrear edges l6 and I! supported bythe ,veshaped supporting .arms 9 and the rear suspending arms II, the side edges I 8 of seating member I 4. are

supported by V-shaped supporting springs I9.

These springs engage the bottom faces of the outer springs of the seat construction and are secured to saidouter springs by. clips 2| connecting the ofiset end loops 22 of supporting springs 19 with the outer springs 26. V-shaped supportingvv springs l9 are. mounted'on wire supporting devices 23 removably connected with tubular side rails4 by extending-"these devices through. perforations-24 inthe wall 25 of tubular side rails 4.'as will be presently described. l

The supporting devices .23'each embody a pair of similarly constructed, U-shaped wire members, 26, 21, respectively, which difierentiate in .Wid'bh and length. Wire member 26, thelarger one of the two wire members has extended from opposite ends of .its straight web portion 28 elongated'arms 29, 29' which slightly diverge from each other and are shaped to form hooks by bending their end portions 30, 30 to extend in parallel relation with respect to each other, at right "angles to the plane of the wire member. The elongated arms 29, 29' include curved lock.- ing" portion 3|, 3! extended in a direction opposite to the direction of offset end portions 3|], 30', the purpose" of which locking portions will be'describe'dlater. Wire member 21, the smaller one of the two wire members, is dimensioned to riestWithin the larger wire member 26. This wire member '21 has exten'dedfrom opposite ends of its straight web portion '32 arms 33, 33 which are shorter than the arms 29, 29' of wire member 26. Arms 33, 33" are also shaped to form hooks by bending their end portions 34, 34' so as to extend in parallel relation with respect to each other at right angles to the plane of wire member 21. These arms 33, 33 include curved looking portions 35, 35' extendedin adirection opposite to the direction of the ofiset end portions 34, 34', which locking portions 3'5, 35' cooperate 'With the locking portions 3|, 3| on arms 29, 29

, in seating an elongated locking member 36 interposed between the wire members 26 and 21 to hold such'*members2 in predetermined position with-respect to each other when mounted on a tubular rod as will hereinafter be described.

To mount a supporting device of the type described on a perforated tubular rod, such as tubu- Ia'r side'rail 4',wire members 26 and 2'! are inverted' with respect to each other so as to extend their end portions 36, 36' and 34, 34' in opposite rflefii ns .a r gthen; air-Wi e. h ead li se the. p fq atiqns .1 th a 512 llbl d i 'i ll 4'untilthe end portions 39, 36 and 34, 34';con.- tact the inner face 31 of such wall {see Fig: Int s p on w r mbe 2 sf W member 26 andthe web portion 28 of wiremern ber 26 is extended a substantial distance beyond the web portion 32 'ofwirememberfl andforiiis by its extended portion 38 a seatadaptedftosupport V-shaped spring l9. To efiect a'rigidcou-r pling of wire members 26 and2Twit-h each other and the tubular rail 4, wiremembers 26 and21 are forcibly tiltedin. oppositedirections with respect to each'otherin a manner to forc'ethe end faces of theirendportions w, 30',andl 34,v 34' 'to% ward the inner face 31 of Wall 25 for frictional n agem With a d, e l mm 5 1? di lthereinto n herea ter. re locked the, i i i ns y l n ated a h w reswki sm ber 36 which is-extendedbetween the wire mem bers and seated in curved locking portions 31,3; and 35,- 35' thereof. Ihe straight wire locking member 36 preferably extends parallel to tubular side rail 4 and has its ends 39 and 40 extended into bores 4| and 42 in front rail 3 and back rail 5.

The supporting device 23 in assembled form provides tubular side rail 4 with a laterally extended yielding supporting bracket which can readily be removed and is adapted to properly support any primary or, secondary spring means used in springing up wire spring construction for all types of seat structures embodying tubular frame members, and which permits quick and proper attachment of springs and spring inembers thereto by clips 43 of standard design. I The length of the offset end portions 36; 30'.and:34, 34" of wire members 26 and 21,'respective1'y, is, of course, determined by the inner diameter of the tubular rail member to which the supporting de? vice 23 is to be attached and should be approximately equal to the radius of such tubular rail member to properly extend the supporting device therefrom.

The modified form of supporting device 44 shown'in 'Figsffi and 6 is' substantially similar to the supporting device 23 previously "described withthe exceptionthat 'outer wire member 45 has arms 46, 46" provided withcurved portions 41;"411" arranged in" the plane ofthe outer wire member. These curved portions locate inner'wire member 48' in outer wire'membe-r 45 and simplify positioning 'of members 45 and 48 with respect to each other; Furthermore, web portion 49 of outer wireimember 45 is "slightly longer than the width of spring member 50 to be seated thereon to permit proper positioning and more rigid mounting of spring member 50 on the arms 46, 46' of the outer wire member by clips 5| of standard design, as will readily be seen from inspection of Fig. 6.

The modified form of supporting device 52 shown in Fig. 7 is similar to supporting device 44 shown in Figs. 5 and 6 with the exception that the width of outer wire member 45 is the same as the Width of the wire spring 53 seated thereon and attached thereto by clips 5|.

Having thus described our invention what we claim is:

1. The combination of a tubular, perforated rail member with a wire bracket structure including cooperating, symmetrically shaped wire members, said wire members having hook-shaped arm means and the hook-shaped arm means of one wire member being arranged in inverted position with respect to the arm'means of the other hook-shaped member, said hook-shaped arm means being extended through the perforations of said rail member thereinto and tilted into forcible contact with the wall of said rail member to secure the wire bracket structure to said rail member when the wire members are extended into said rail tilted to predetermined positions and locked in such positions to permit free removal of the wire bracket structure from the rail member when the wire members are unlocked and tilted to other positions.

2. The combination described in claim 1, wherein the wire members of the wire bracket structure are of similar construction and have the hook-shaped arm means arranged in pairs.

3. The combination described in claim 1, wherein the wire members of the wire bracket structure are of similar construction and differentiate in overall length to provide a wire bracket structure assembled from wire members, one of which extends a substantial distance from the rail member to which the wire bracket structure is secured.

4. The combination described in claim 1, wherein the wire members of the Wire bracket structure are of similar construction, wherein the hook-shaped arm means are arranged in pairs and wherein the wire members differentiate in width to permit their nesting.

5. The combination described in claim 1, wherein the wire members of the Wire bracket structure are of similar construction, wherein the hook-shaped arm means are arranged in pairs cooperating with each other, wherein the wire members differentiate in Width to permit their nesting, and wherein elongated wire means between the outwardly exposed portions of said 6 wire members lock same in predetermined position with respect to each other.

6. The combination of a perforated rail member having opposed wall portions with a wire bracket structure including cooperating, similarly constructed, U-shaped wire members constructed and dimensioned to permit their nesting in inverted positions, said wire members having hook-shaped arms extended through the perforations of said rail member thereinto, and said wire members being tilted in opposite directions to bring the ends of their hook-shaped arms into forcible contact with the opposed wall portions of said rail member to secure the wire bracket structure to said rail member when the wire members are tilted to predetermined positions and locked in such positions and permit removal of the wire bracket structure from the rail member when the wire members are unlocked and tilted to other positions.

7. The combination described in claim 6 wherein the perforated rail member is tubular and has circular cross section, wherein the hookshaped arms of said wire members extend with their hook-forming end portions at right angles to the plane of the U-shaped members, and wherein the length of said hook forming end portions approximately equals the radius of said tubular rail member to extend the wire bracket structure radially from said tubular rail memher.

8. The combination described in claim 6, wherein the U-shaped wire members differentiate in width to permit their nesting and wherein the wider one of said U-shaped wire members has its arms formed with inwardly extended defiections adapted to locate the narrower wire member for nesting in the wider one.

9. The combination described in claim 6, wherein the width of the wider one of the U- shaped wire members exceeds the width of the loops of a sinuously corrugated wire member to be supported thereby somewhat less than twice the gage of the wire of such sinuously corrugated wire member to facilitate seating and mounting of the sinuously corrugated wire member on the Wider U-shaped member.

FRANK A. BIELAK. WILLIAM H. NEELY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,925,488 Kern Sept. 5, 1933 2,435,174 Bell Jan. 27, 1948 2,548,593 Eagles Apr. 10, 1951 

